Brandon Marshall

Week Seventeen Analysis: The Bears need some help to reach the playoffs, which means that Brandon Marshall will give it his all against the Lions on Sunday. Marshall has now scored in three straight games and had six or more receptions in five straight. In his last meeting with the Lions he had a "Marshall" average performance of 81 yards and a score. I think he could do even more against a Detroit team that has given up three wide receiver touchdowns in each of their last two home games.

Week Sixteen Analysis: Brandon Marshall has now topped 90 yards or scored in 11 straight games. That kind of consistency is a fantasy owner's dream, and has likely landed you in the championship game. He's matchup-proof and has thrived in every situation he's faced this year, which is why I'm not afraid to start him against the sneaky tough Cardinals. The Cardinals? Yeah, those Arizona Cardinals have only allowed one wide receiver to score in the last five weeks. Much of that is due to Patrick Peterson's elite play. Peterson was matched up with Calvin Johnson last week, and held him out of the end zone, but still allowed over 100 yards to Megatron.

Week Fifteen Analysis: It looks like Jay Cutler will be at the helm of this critical game for Chicago, and that's very important considering that Brandon Marshall is coming off back-to-back outings of 160-plus yards. Last week the Packers did hold Calvin Johnson out of the end zone, but still allowed him to burn them for 118 yards. If Cutler plays, Marshall should easily hit the century mark, if not, he's still startable, but not nearly as attractive.

Week Fourteen Analysis: In each of the last seven games that Jay Cutler has started for the Bears, Brandon Marshall has had 80 or more yards. He's been money in the fantasy bank this season, but we are a bit concerned that he's only scored one time in the last four weeks. Two weeks ago when Marshall faced off against these Vikings he was targeted 17 times, had 12 catches for 92 yards, but dropped an easy touchdown pass. I can see those numbers repeating themselves this week, minus the dropped touchdown though. The Vikings have allowed at least one wide receiver touchdown in five of the last six games. The only game in which they did not allow a score was two weeks ago against these Bears.

Week Thirteen Analysis: Just a week after Jason Campbell tossed a season-low four targets in Brandon Marshall's direction, Jay Cutler returned to throw a season-high 17 targets his way last week against Minnesota. If you were counting, 17 of Cutler's 31 passes went in Marshall's direction, that's 55 percent! It's no wonder why Marshall has topped 90 yards or scored in eight straight games. A delay in the suspensions to Seahawks' cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Dick Sherman, don't help Marshall, but the fact that the game is being played in Soldier Field does. In their last two away games the Seahawks have allowed two 100-yard games and three touchdowns to opposing wide receivers.

Week Twelve Analysis: Despite the Bears being held to only 107 total passing yards on Monday, Brandon Marshall managed to score another touchdown. It's the sixth time Marshall has scored in a game this season and the seventh score in his last seven games. Immense pressure from the 49ers defense held Marshall to only 21 yards, which was his lowest total in his last 16 games. This week he faces a Vikings team that has been anything but fierce to opposing wide receivers. In their last two games, the Vikings have allowed five touchdowns to opposing wide receivers. In their game prior to the bye week they were victimized by another strong, big-bodied receiver, Calvin Johnson, to the tune of 12 catches, 207 yards and a score.

Week Eleven Analysis: The question that is on everyone's mind is: will the concussion to Jay Cutler cause problems for Brandon Marshall? Okay, not everyone's mind. Jay Cutler, for example, can't remember who Brandon Marshall is. Jason Campbell is a competent backup quarterback, but he's still a backup. Marshall's bigger problem is the 49ers. San Francisco is allowing just under-11 yards per catch to opposing wide receivers, which is the lowest mark in the league. And no team has allowed fewer touchdowns to wideouts, just four all year. Your glimmer of hope is that two of the four came last week when the Niners allowed both Brian Quick and Austin Pettis of the Rams to score in last week's tie, while also allowing Danny Amendola to eclipse the 100-yard mark.

Week Ten Analysis: After destroying the Titans defense for 122 yards and three touchdowns, Brandon Marshall has now topped 80 yards in each of his last five games and scored in four of five. He's been absolutely vital to the Bears passing game as he's accounted for 90 targets in eight games, while the five other wide receivers on the Bears have combined for only 82 targets. This week he faces a Texans team that allowed five touchdowns to wideouts in that game against the Packers, but have allowed only three other wide receivers to score all season. I'm pretty sure Jay Cutler isn't Aaron Rodgers impression on Sunday night.

Week Nine Analysis: The Titans have allowed eight different wide receivers to top 90 yards or score against them in the last six weeks. And it's No. 1 wideouts who are killing them. Reggie Wayne last week. Mike Wallace the week before. Then Percy Harvin. Then Calvin Johnson. And Malcom Floyd before that. The only opposing No. 1 receiver who didn't put up meaningful fantasy numbers against the Titans this year was Andre Johnson. Brandon Marshall is, clearly, the Bears' No. 1 receiver. In the Bears' five wins, Marshall has scored, topped 95 yards or both in all of them. The ball will go through Marshall's hands, and Tennessee has proven they can't stop it.

Week Eight Analysis: Only one player in the NFL has topped 80 receiving yards and scored in the same game four times this season, his name is Brandon Marshall. Over his last four games, Marshall has been targeted by Jay Cutler an insane 46 times, so it's no wonder in that time span he's had five or more catches in each contest and topped 135 yards twice. It could be a tough day for Marshall due to a matchup against a pretty good Panthers secondary. Both starting corners, Captain Munnerlyn and Josh Norman, have allowed only one touchdown to an opposing wide receiver this season according to Pro Football Focus, and Carolina has allowed the fourth-fewest yards to wide receivers.

Week Seven Analysis: Working in tandem with Jay Cutler's stat line, Brandon Marshall has had three great games in which he's topped 115 yards and scored and two less than stellar performances in which he's combined for 95 total yards. So which Marshall will we get on Sunday when he takes on the Lions? If Jeremy Maclin's big performance against the Lions last week is any indication, it should be another huge game for Marshall. If it's the Lions' secondary that has allowed only one other wide receiver to top 74 yards, it could be a long night for Marshall.

Week Five Analysis: Brandon Marshall is the classic boom or bust player that can single-handedly win or lose you a game in any given week. First, let's talk about the boom. In the last five instances in which Marshall has gained 100 or more yards in a game, he has also scored. Now the bust. In the last 14 games in which he was held to less than 100 yards, Marshall only scored three times. Will the Jacksonville Jaguars be a team that allows Marshall to boom or bust? My gut instinct is that he will boom. The Jags have allowed receivers T.Y. Hilton and A.J. Green to each have 100 or more yards and score in the last two weeks. Here comes the BOOM!

Week Four Analysis: The Bears are "in like" with Brandon Marshall so far this season. It's something special, as Marshall has exactly half of the wide receiver targets for the Bears so far this season, but it's not quite love yet. No, love isn't given away after being held under 100 total yards and no scores in two weeks against the Packers and Rams. Love is earned when you shine under the brightest of lights against one of the best secondaries in football. The new Texas Tandem of Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne have been outstanding so far, allowing no touchdowns to wide receivers yet this season and under 80 yards to the position in each of the last two games. If Marshall can come up big against these two defensive backs, the Windy City will become the City of Marshally Love.

Week Three Analysis: Quite possibly fantasy football's biggest goat from Week 2, Brandon Marshall looks to rebound from his dismal two catch and 24-yard performance last week against the Packers when he takes on the Rams this week in the Windy City. Don't sleep on how good the Rams' secondary is though. St. Louis has only allowed three wide receiver touchdowns in their last six games and Cortland Finnegan has meshed well in his new home. According to Pro Football Focus, Finnegan has allowed eight catches this season for only 53 yards (an average of under seven yards per catch), and in Finnegan and Marshall's only previous career matchup, Marshall could only manage three catches for 34 yards. The signs point to another long day for Marshall.

Week Two Analysis: The on-again, off-again love affair between Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall is sizzling right now. It's like they picked up right where they left off. Marshall was targeted 15 times last week, which is nine times more than any other Chicago receiver. This week they get to feast on bitter rivals and one of the worst secondaries in the league. Last week, the Packers secondary made Alex Smith look like a Pro Bowler and Randy Moss look like it was 1998. No one is afraid to throw on a Green Bay defense that allowed 300 passing yards per game last season. Marshall faced the NFL's worst team last week, and posted appropriately gaudy stats. He might actually improve those numbers on Thursday.

Week One Analysis: Brandon Marshall has been reunited (and it feels so good) with Jay Cutler, and is a part of an offense that looks poised to make a deep playoff run. It's all peaches and cream right now. In fact, the last opening day that Cutler and Marshall spent together netted an incredible 18 receptions (that's right 18 receptions in one week!) for 166 yards and a touchdown. The Bears' opponent in Week 1 is the Colts, who have been one of the league's better pass defenses over the last handful of years, but only in the sense that it was so easy to run against them that hardly any teams bothered to throw a pass. Last year the Colts had difficulty handling number one receivers, giving up over 95 yards and at least one score to Andre Johnson, Mike Wallace, Dwayne Bowe, Marques Colston and Julio Jones last season.

NEXT: #16 MARQUES COLSTON